Was I bovvered, today? You betcha: the ferry didn't run until 5 pm so I had to go the long (and official path) route round the estuaries. I knew it was going to be flat so at least I didn't need to carry anything bar phone and wallet. The hotel looked out over this, so an encouraging view to start
Just down the road from here is the old Richmond dockyard. Appledore has a big boat building history, as the notice board made clear (you may have to zoom in on this to read it)
Although this old yard is now derelict, unused since the 1960s, Babcock have two large facilities just up river and a frigate was tied up at the first: F64. I can't find a serving ship with this designation so it's a bit of a mystery. Anyone know?
In fact Appledore has a rich maritime heritage from the second half of the 19th century. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond Bay in Prince Edward Island, where the Yeo family's shipping fleet was based.
Annoyingly (but let's be honest, a first world problem) the path goes under a high road bridge that would have provided an earlier crossing - grrr - and then into Bideford itself, which to my surprise (though, why?) was very colourful and pretty
It would seem that it's twinned with Landivisau in Brittany, perhaps in part because they both have military connections.
The Long Bridge built here in 1286 was supplanted by a stone one 1474 which is still largely intact. There are various theories as to why the arches are of different sizes, including (probably apocryphally) that they were all funded by different local guilds.
The Welsh "bydd y ffordd" means
" this is the way" and there used to be a ford here but on the river
Torridge, not the Bide (which quite probably is a river I just invented). Hubba the Dane (not the Jat: groan) attacked here but was seen
off by Alfred the Great. There is a lot of recorded history about it since
William, the-Bastard’s days and it has been included in lands variously owned
by Matilda (wife of WtB) and the Grenvilles (later Granvilles) whose forbear
Sir Richard I de Grenville was one of the twelve Knights of Glamorgan.
Sir Walter Raleigh, although not
the first to import it, landed his first shipment of tobacco here and there
has been substantial trading and shipbuilding for many years.
Among key events in its history, the Bideford Witch Trial took place here in 1682 and the town was a major area for deployment of US troops during
WW2, although I daresay there was a fair bit went on in between. The pigment Bideford
Black was mined until 1969, used both as camouflage paint by the military
and mascara by Max Factor.
Cricket umpire David Shepherd and defence secretary John Nott
were born here and lead guitarist Stuart Anstis (from the well-known Cradle of Filth) went to
school here. There are several markets, including the Pannier Market in the
Market Hall and the weekly Farmers Market on the quay.
Crossing the Long Bridge to the distinctly down-market East side (or rive droite as you might say) the path quickly joins the Tarka Trail, part of the Devon coast to coast cycle route and this section uses the old railway line. It's a shared path, which creates its own hazards, and tarmacked. Whilst this makes for level walking, the combination of hard unvarying surface and repetitious walking action is numbing and, whisper it quietly, a little boring. There are some rewarding views down river toward the Torridge estuary though.
From here into Instow, home of the North Devon Cricket Club and another on the list of grounds I'd like to go to see a match. Thankfully the SWCP leaves the Tarka Trail and goes round the outside of two marsh areas, Instow Barton and East Yelland, with estuarine mud on the other side. I like these kind of wild, rather derelict places full of wildlife that just gets on with it when left unmolested.
After that respite we rejoin the Tarka Trail for 6 miles (yes, 6 miles!) of tarmac path, mostly dead straight as well, into Barnstaple. It's enough to test anyone's zen and I had some small insight into how dull it must have been to drive the train - why did small boys of my generation want to be train drivers? (P'raps it was just their Dads). It was so hard going that even I succumbed to an ice cream 😁.
I was able to get an answer to a puzzle that had been nagging at me for a couple of hours, when I came across some botanists doing a verge-health survey. What on earth is this:
Rather like a dandelion on steroids, it turns out to be Goats Beard or, if you prefer its old name, "Jack goes to bed at noon" from the flower's habit of closing up. I haven't knowingly seen any of this before but I daresay it's widespread.
I finally made it to Barnstaple, though over the modern bridge rather than the old one I'd planned - slight <cough> navigational error
 |
| Long Bridge just visible in the distance |
and slumped into the nearest cafe to summon a cab.
Barnstaple is the main town and retail centre of North Devon, a former river
port, exporting wool since the 14th century, and probably the oldest
borough in the UK. The town centre still has a medieval layout and character. When the harbour eventually silted up Bideford took over as the principal port.
Perhaps my favourite piece of trivia from the whole path so far is that the majority of local people are
employed in the yo-yo industry, either manufacture, instructing or professional
use. Since the first world yo-yo championships in 2007, 8 championships have
been won by a competitor from the town, given rise to its nickname ‘the up and
down town’.
Norman Scott lived in Barnstaple in 1975, blackmailing local MP
Jeremy Thorpe over their alleged sexual relationship, as we know from the recent TV series. Apparently Thorpe’s colleague
David Holmes phoned Andrew Newton (the hit man) with instructions to intimidate Scott, whom
he would meet at a hotel in Barnstaple. But it was a bad line, and Newton spent
time hanging around Dunstable in Bedfordshire. I'd say insert your own cock-up reference here but even that doesn't sound right.
Sir
Francis Chichester was born here, as were Katie Hopkins, Phil Vickery, Tim
Wonnacott of Bargain Hunt and Snowy White from Thin Lizzy.
This week required some ad hoc revision to the plan but I'm pleased to have completed it. There are still some challenging sections ahead (not least another 6 miles level walking on tarmac from Barnstaple to Braunton!) but nothing on the scale of Bude to Hartland so barring disaster I'm starting to feel confident of making the finish line on July 1 - in time to meet up with friends and celebrate.
Thanks to all for support (and reading my ramblings) and stay tuned for the final week, beginning Monday 25th June.
Peter
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